Preparing to Transition the Babies to their Own Room

April 21, 2018

Ok – so I’m admittedly having a hard time moving the girls into their own room at night. At first I thought it was just because I’m still traumatized from the girls spending their first three months in the hospital. Leaving them at night was one of very hardest parts about that whole experience. I just wished and wished for the first night I’d have them in our room with us to come, and there hasn’t been a night since that I don’t go to bed SO grateful that they are there. On top of that, our girls have been sleeping through the night since they came home (here’s why), so it’s not like they’re keeping us up.

But, as I’ve talked to other Moms about this I’ve realized there are some who think I’m crazy for still having them in my room, and then some who totally relate and have toddlers still sleeping in their beds. We all do it differently, and that’s ok!

In dragging my feet, I wanted to have certain things in place before we made the transition. As many of you know, I’ve been working with the amazing sleep consultant, Melissa from Sleep Shop OC. Most of these recommendations came from her! Here are the things that are making me feel better about this transition:

Blackouts – the sun comes up on the side of the house that the nursery is on, so their room gets SO bright in the morning. Melissa recommended these blackouts so that I could still keep my cute curtains up. They just velcro to the window frame, so I can take them off easily if I want the room to be sunny when I’m playing with the girls in there!

Sleep Sacks – Wearable blankets make me feel better about the girls being safe while they sleep. I’m always worried about the girls’ temperature, and Melissa helped me find these 4 Season Baby Sleep Bags from Woolino that help regulate it. We are loving them!

Owlet – I’ve actually had the Owlet for both girls since they came home, but didn’t really feel the need to use it when there were safely in their Snoo right next to me. Now that they are more mobile and will be sleeping further away, I suddenly feel so grateful for these Owlets! They’ll give me so much peace of mind, and keep me from checking on the girls every second. I’ll do another review for you after we’ve been using them for a while, but knowing I have them is already making this transition easier for me!

Sound Machine – We’ve tried a few different sound machines, but I’ve ended up loving this one and now we have two. It works great for putting next to their crib in their room and on the go. Reasons I love them: they hook to their carseats or stroller, have a rechargeable battery (I hate worrying about replacing batteries, but love that I don’t have to plug these in!), and they actually get super loud when I want them to be (the volume is adjustable!). There are also different types of sounds – I love the ocean setting!

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Fan – Melissa taught me that while it’s important that the air is the right temperature, it’s also important to have it circulating. I just grabbed this one on Amazon, but I’m sure any fan will work!

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Camera/Alarm System (as a monitor!) – We never did decide on a baby monitor, and since our house is so small I can always hear the babies. However, having them in their own room at night freaks me out for several reasons. Part of me is afraid I won’t hear them wake up, and another part of me is afraid they’ll get snatched out of their window (I was traumatized by the story of that little girl Polly who was kidnapped from her bedroom in 1993!) Anyways, after not really finding a baby monitor we were sold on and wanting to make our home more secure, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and go with a new system. I don’t want to review it for you quite yet until we know if we love it, so stay tuned!

The girls have already started napping in their room, and have done really well. I snapped these when they woke up from their second nap today…I’m obsessed with how they turn to try and see each other in the next crib, it’s so cute. And if you’re wondering, YES I’ve tried putting them together in the same crib but so far it hasn’t worked – there’s lots of unintentional scratching of faces and kicking each other in the head!

So that’s it, no more excuses. I have everything in place, and we are ready to make the move! In my last couple of nights with the girls in our room, I will lay there and thoroughly enjoy having the five beating hearts of our family (Lo sleeps in our room, too!) all sleeping in the same room. And in the future, I’ll remember to be grateful for the rare nights where it might happen again!

Tune in next Thursday for a special Instagram Live with Melissa from Sleep Shop OC, where she will share more tips for transitioning your baby to their crib as well as answer any other questions you might have! Make sure you are following us both on Instagram (here and here) when we announce the exact time!